Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Dedicated To A Cause ~

The City Of Enoch

I have been thinking about the word dedication. I have been asking myself; am I a dedicated wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, sister, and friend? Am I devoted to my God and to my Savior, Jesus Christ? Am I committed to my calling as a Missionary and Temple worker? I guess I am asking these questions because at times I grumble about having to do so much. Sometimes, my day is not devoted to the things that matter most. Sometimes, I simply do not feel zealous in the work.The definition of the word dedication is devotion to a cause, ideal, or purpose. Another word for dedicated is committed. Other similar adjectives are devoted, sworn, enthusiastic, single-minded, zealous, purposeful. I believe that our Savior wants us to dedicate our lives to the things that matter most; which would be the things of eternity. In The New Testament: Mark 12:30-3130. "And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength; this is the first commandment. 31. "And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these."I am struck by the words, with all my heart, with all my soul, with all my strength. There are many days when I don't even want to exercise my spiritual strength by praying, reading the scripture, and service. I just want to read a good book and take a nap. Here is a lovely poem I recently read by Christina Rossetti. This poem caused me to think hard and long on where am I on this important first commandment?

What can I give Him,

Poor as I am?

If I were a shepherd

I would bring a lamb,

If I were a Wise Man

I would do my part,

Yet what can I give Him?

I can give him my heart.

The only way back to our Heavenly Father will be through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. We must be dedicated to his purposes and give him our heart, mind and strength. I realize that I need to be more aware of my priority list each day. Am I giving my heart and soul to know the Savior and my Heavenly Father?Am I a loving and devoted companion to my husband? Am I cultivating good relationships with my children and grandchildren? Am I reaching out in love to my extended family members? Am I serving with a good attitude in my callings? Am I a loyal friends? I believe in the Pre-existence that one of our assignments was to come to earth and make a difference in the lives of others; perhaps even to change lives. Jesus gave his all. The Prophet and Apostles both past and present give their all. Brigham Young said:"The Kingdom of God or nothing." The Savior does want us to be dedicated and devoted to the things that matter most. Am I giving my all to the cause?I know what I need to do and I love the motto of President Spencer W. Kimball when he stated: "Do It!" At this time he also stated: "Do It With A Plan."Sunday in a meeting at church the thought came up that our assigned ward could have the Savior visit us if the members could become unified and pure in heart. The ward's theme for the year is Unity and Purity. Could this goal be possible? Perhaps we should study in Moses 7: 21-24;62-64. This is the story of the city of Enoch. The Prophet Enoch dedicated his life to teaching those in his city to become unified and pure in heart.

Moses 7:18: "And the Lord called his people Zion, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them."They became so righteous that they were translated from a telestial world to a terrestrial level. They will join us someday during the great millennial era. I found it interesting that the name Enoch in Hebrew is Hanokh, which means dedicated. Someday we will report back to our Heavenly Father and Savior Jesus Christ that we have finished our work. I want to report that I was dedicated, committed and zealous in the work. One of my favorite scriptures is found in D&C 93:1"Verily, thus saith the Lord: It shall come to pass that every soul who forsaketh his sins and cometh unto me, and calleth on my name, and obeyeth my voice, and keepeth my commandments, shall see my face and know that I am." I want to see my Savior's face and walk with him. I want and need to be more dedicated and zealous in the cause.

You are definitely a dedicated woman LeAnn!! You are such a good example for me. I admire you in so many ways. Thanks too for the scripture reminder and all the good things I have to do to make my life more spiritual.

I really appreciated this post tonight. I think my dedication in certain areas need strengthening. I'm dedicated to being a mother, but am I dedicated to being a patient mother? I definitely could do better.

Another thought provoking post Leann!! We went to the Temple yesterday. It's been the first time I have been in about a year. It is so far away and we just have not been able to afford the petrol. We felt so happy to be there. It used half a tank of petrol, but was worth it. I hope we can go again soon. xxoo

We all have days were we are failing everything we are trying to do. But God always delivers back to us the strength with prayer, or so I believe:) I also believe he expects us to take care of ourselves and family in addition to caring for others If you aren't cared for at home then you can't fully care for others away from home.

What a wonderful post! You always make me think about my life and the things that are most important. I really needed to hear your wonderful message today, as obedience and dedication seem so hard for me!